Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Geography-Ncert-Questions Ans
Geography-Ncert-Questions Ans
Cover:
Atlas
Important gulfs/ seas/ rivers/ straits/ isthmuses
Resource distribution for major minerals, industries
Global weather patterns, vegetation, and reason for their occurrence
State-wise relief features
State-wise list of crops and minerals (minerals on Page 28 of NCERT 8th Standard
text, and Chapter 7 of Class XII NCERT Part 2)
Flora/ Fauna from NCERT
Find out which plant/ animal species have gone extinct in the last 5 years
Geo phenomena
Change in relief features
See Geography mains syllabus
Past year prelims questions
Current affairs: Earthquakes etc. (measurement scales)
Class VI
Class VII
1. Define ‘ecosystem’.
2. What are the main mineral constituents of the earth’s crust over land? In the
oceans?
3. What is its average thickness over land? Over oceans?
4. To what depth does the mantle extend?
5. What is the mineral composition of the earth’s core? What is its average
radius?
6. What are the 2 different kinds of igneous rocks? Give an example of each.
7. What is the primary rock that makes up the Deccan plateau?
8. In what type of rocks are you likely to find fossils?
9. Why do lithospheric plates move? (Page 12)
10. What is the difference between endogenic and exogenic forces? Give some
examples of each.
11. What are floodplain and levees?
12. What are sea arches and sea stacks?
13. What are moraines?
14. What is loess?
15. Which layer of the earth’s atmosphere is ideal for flying aircrafts? (Page 22)
16. Which layer of the earth’s atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
17. In which layer do meteorites usually burn up?
18. In which layer does temperature begin to rise with altitude?
19. What is insolation?
20. Does atmospheric pressure increase or decrease with altitude?
21. What is the relationship between temperature of a place and cloud
formation? (Page 24)
22. Into what 3 categories can winds be broadly divided?
23. Why do jet planes leave a white trail behind them? (Page 26)
24. What is the major source of groundwater? (Page 26)
25. What are the 3 different mechanisms that cause rainfall? Explain each.
26. What is cyclonic rain?
27. What is a ‘terrarium’? (Page 30)
28. In which countries will you find the following rivers: Amazon, Darling,
Danube, and Orange?
29. What are the three main kinds of movements of ocean waters?
30. What is the difference between waves and tides?
31. What are spring tides and neap tides?
32. How do high tides help with ship navigation?
33. Mark the following ocean currents on a map, and indicate which ones are
cold and which, warm: North Atlantic Drift, Gulf stream, Canaries, Alaska,
California, North Equatorial, South Equatorial, Humbolot, Falkland, West
Wind Drift, West Altantic Current, Kuroshio, Oyashio, Brazilian, Auglhas,
Equatorial Counter Current, North Pacific Drift (See dropbox-separate file
on ocean currents)
34. What are the three main categories into which natural vegetation is
classified? (Page 39)
35. What kind of trees are you likely to find in tropical rainforests?
36. What is the major factor distinguishing tropical rainforests from deciduous
ones?
37. Where are you most likely to find temperate evergreen forests? Temperate
deciduous forests (latitudes, which part of continents)? (CHECK: Page 42)
38. Where are you most likely to find Mediterranean vegetation? What kind of
fauna are you likely to find here?
39. Where does one find coniferous forests? What is another name for this kind
of vegetation?
40. Where is one likely to find tropical grasslands? Temperate grasslands?
41. Where does one find Tundra vegetation? Give some examples of tundra
vegetation.
42. Why are deserts usually found on western margins of continents?
43. On the basis of climate, name the two different kinds of grasslands.
44. Where does one find the prairies?
45. What is Chinook?
46. What are Velds?
47. Which is the world’s largest desert?
48. Why isn’t there much rainfall in Ladakh? (Page 75)
Class VIII
Class X
18. Explain: gullies, sheet erosion, strip cropping, shelter belts. (Page 11)
19. What is the proper way of ploughing a field on a slope, so as to counter soil
erosion?
20. What is ‘enrichment plantation’? (Page 16)
21. What is the Himalayan Yew? (Page 17)
22. What are the Hindi names for the blackbuck and the Great Indian Bustard?
(Page 19)
23. Name the tiger reserves in the following states: Uttaranchal, West Bengal,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, and Kerala.
24. Describe India’s Joint Forest Management Programme. (Page 21)
25. What % of India’s electricity is produced from hydroelectric sources? (Page
25)
26. Which is the only state in India to have made rooftop rainwater harvesting
compulsory for all houses in the state? (Page 32)
27. What does ‘intensive subsistence farming’ mean? (Page 35)
28. What is plantation cropping?
29. During what months are Rabi crops usually sown? Harvested?
30. Name 5 important Rabi crops. (Page 36)
31. Name 9 important Kharif crops.
32. What are Aus, Aman, and Boro?
33. Among the 3 major millet crops, which one is rain-fed, and which one a
crop of dry regions?
34. Which state is the largest producer of Jowar? (Page 38)
35. Which state is the largest producer of Bajra?
36. Which state is the largest producer of Ragi?
37. What is ‘gene revolution’?
38. What is organic farming?
39. Name two bio-diesel crops. (Page 47)
40. How did partition of India affect the jute industry?
(http://www.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_partition_of_the_country_in_19
47_affect_the_jute_industry)
41. Which minerals are used in making a light bulb? (Copper, Aluminum,
Molybdenum, trona, tungsten etc.)
42. What is an ore? (Page 51)
43. What are ‘placer deposits’? (Page 52)
44. What is ‘rat-hole mining’?
45. Broadly speaking, indicate in which region of India are you likely to find the
following: coal, metallic minerals, mica, petroleum, non-ferrous minerals.
46. What is the finest ore of iron called? (Page 52)
47. Which is the most widely industrially used ore of iron?
48. Name 4 major iron-ore producing areas of India.
49. What is the major use of Manganese?
50. Which state in India has the most manganese ores?
51. What are some uses of copper? (Page 55)
52. Which state in India produces the highest amount of copper ore?
53. What is the major use of bauxite?
54. Which state in India produces the highest amount of bauxite?
55. What is the major use of mica?
56. Which state in India produces the highest amount of mica?
57. What are the two major uses of limestone?
58. Which two states in India produce the highest amount of limestone?
59. Which is the most abundantly available fossil fuel in India? (Page 58)
60. Name the 4 different varieties of coal, and rank them in order of increasing
carbon content.
61. What is metallurgical coal?
62. Why are heavy industries and thermal power stations located on or near
coalfields? (Page 60)
63. Name two broad regions of India that contain most of the country’s coal.
Which states fall in these regions?
64. Name three major petroleum-producing areas of India, in decreasing order
of importance.
65. True or false: Natural gas is found only in areas with petroleum deposits.
66. Which river basin contains large quantities of natural gas?
67. Where is the Gulf of Cambay? Name some major rivers that drain into this
gulf.
68. Name two places in India where uranium is found. (Page 61)
69. Which place in India provides ideal conditions for generating electricity
from tidal power?
70. Name two places in India where experimental projects have been set up to
generate electricity form geothermal sources.
71. Where is Koderma? What is it famous for? (Google)
72. What is the share of industry in India’s GDP? Manufacturing?
73. What is an ‘agglomeration economy’? (Page 66)
74. Give some examples of agro-based industries.
75. How much does the textile industry contribute to total industrial
production in India? (Page 67)
76. How much to GDP?
77. In its early years, in which parts of India was the cotton industry
concentrated, and why?
78. What is the major challenge facing the cotton textile industry in India?
(Page 70)
79. Which Indian state has the maximum number of jute mills? Apart from the
availability of raw materials, what are some of the other factors for this
concentration?
80. What is the major challenge facing the jute industry? Name one important
government intervention to correct this trend.
81. Name 10 states in India that have sugar mills.
82. Which 2 states together account for over 60% of the total number of mills?
83. In recent years, why is there a tendency for mills to shift and concentrate in
southern and western states? (3 reasons) (Page 71)
84. List some of the problems that the sugar industry is facing in India
currently (very important)
85. Name three major components of steel. In what proportion should they be
mixed in the production of steel?
86. What is the purpose of using manganese in production of iron?
87. Name two major ingredients of aluminum. (Page 74)
88. What % of GDP does the chemicals industry contribute to India’s GDP?
(Page 75)
89. What kind of fertilizer is urea? (Chemically)
90. Describe the Indian government’s new urea policy (Current Affairs)
91. Among the 3 major fertilizers, which one does India have absolutely no
commercially usable reserves of?
92. Name 4 major ingredients of cement.
93. Where are most of the cement producing plants in India located and why?
1. Which theory of the earth’s origin is connected with Laplace and Immanuel
Kant?
2. What is another name for the Big Bang Theory?
3. The Big Bang Theory postulates that the universe and galaxies are
expanding. True or False?
4. What is ‘singularity’?
5. How are galaxies and stars formed? (Page 15)
6. How are planets formed?
7. What is the difference between Terrestrial and Jovian planets? Name them.
8. List 3 differences between Terrestrial and Jovian planets.
9. Among the elements found in the earth’s crust, core, and mantle, where do
you expect to find the density of the materials the highest? Why?
10. Describe the evolution of the earth’s atmosphere. (Page 17)
11. How old is the earth?
12. What is the exact radius of the earth?
13. What is ‘Moho’s Discontinuity’? (Page 25)
14. List 3 direct sources that help us get information about the earth’s
interiors.
15. List 3 indirect sources.
16. What is the gravity anomaly?
17. To what depth does lithosphere extend? (Page 22)
18. Define: focus, epicenter (with reference to earthquakes)
19. What are the 2 different kinds of earthquake waves? What is the main
difference between them? (Page 23)
20. What are the 2 different kinds of body waves? What are the two main
differences between them?
21. Of the three kinds of waves, which ones are the most destructive?
22. List the mechanism of propagation of the 3 kinds of waves.
23. Which one creates crests and troughs in the material?
24. Which one creates density differences in the material?
25. What is a ‘shadow zone’?
26. Between P and S waves, which ones have a larger shadow zone?
27. What is the extent on degrees of their respective shadow zones?
28. Describe the most commonly used scales for measuring earthquakes.
(Google)
29. What is the mean thickness of: oceanic crust? Continental crust? (Page 25)
30. What is the type of rock most commonly found in oceanic crust? What is it
used for?
31. What is the upper portion of the earth’s mantle called?
32. Does the lithosphere consist only of the earth’s crust? (Page 26)
33. In what state are the materials at the earth’s core? (Check- Page 26)
34. What is the difference between shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes,
calderas, and flood-basalt provinces?
35. India’s Deccan Trap is an example of which one of the above?
36. What are plutonic rocks? What is their other counterpart?
37. List and describe 6 different forms of intrusive landforms formed by
volcanic eruptions.
38. Why do earthquake waves develop shadow zones? (Google)
39. Why is the shadow zone larger for S-waves than P-waves? (Google)
40. What % of the earth’s surface do continents cover? (Page 30)
41. Which scientist’s name is associated with the theory of continental drift?
42. According to this theory, what were the ancient landmass and the mega-
ocean called?
43. List 5 evidences cited in support of the continental drift theory.
44. What is Tillite? (Page 31)
45. What are placer deposits?
46. According to Wegener, what were the two forces that caused continental
drift?
47. Name two prominent post-drift studies.
48. What are the three broad divisions of the ocean floor?
49. What are abyssal plains?
50. Where on the map would you find the ‘ring of fire’? (Page 33)
51. Which rocks are usually younger: those found on the continental shelves,
or those found close to the mid-oceanic ridges?
52. Explain the concept of sea floor spreading, and give two pieces of evidence
in its favor. (Page 34)
53. How is a tectonic plate classified as oceanic or continental? (Page 35,
check)
54. According to the theory of plate tectonics, how many major tectonic plates
exist on the earth’s lithosphere? Name them. (Page 35)
55. How is the theory of continental drift different from the theory of plate
tectonics?
56. Does the theory of plate tectonics discredit the existence of an ancient,
connected landmass known as Pangaea? (Page 36)
57. What are the 3 different kinds of boundaries of tectonic plates?
58. What kind of boundary are the Himalayas located on? (Figure on Page 35)
59. What is the driving force behind movement of tectonic plates?
60. What are the two main sources of the earth’s internal heat?
61. What is the name of the ancient sea that separated India from the Asian
landmass before the two converged?
62. Were the Deccan Traps created as a result of the collision of the Indian
mainland with the Asian one, or due to later geological activity?
63. List the top five elements found in the earth’s crust (by %). (Page 40)
64. Give some examples of organic and inorganic minerals. (Check- Page 40)
65. What is the basic source of all minerals?
66. Do rocks have definite composition of minerals? (Page 41)
67. Which are the two most common minerals found in rocks?
68. What is the technical term for the science of rocks (not geology).
69. What is lithifaction? (Page 43)
70. What is dynamic metamorphism?
71. What are the effects of thermal metamorphism?
72. What are the two types of thermal metamorphism?
73. What is foliation? By which other name is it known?
74. What is banding?
75. What is the basic source of all exogenic forces that act on the earth’s
surface? (Page 45)
76. Why do exogenic forces fail to ever even out all the relief features on the
earth’s surface?
77. What are the main forces that drive endogenic forces? (Page 46)
78. What is diastrophism?
79. What are epeirogenic forces?
80. What are shear stresses? (Page 47)
81. Is weathering an in-situ or ex-situ process?
82. What are the three main types of weathering processes?
83. Are mass movements an example of erosion? (Page 52)
84. What is solifluction? (Page 52)
85. What latitudes is this most common in?
86. Give 3 reasons why the Himalayas are prone to debris avalanches and
landslides. (Page 54)
87. What is the key difference between weathering and erosion?
88. What is the formula to calculate kinetic energy? How is this related to
erosion?
89. What are karst regions?
90. What are people who study soil called? (Check: Page 55)
91. What is the process of soil formation called?
92. List the five basic factors that affect soil formation?
93. What is geomorphology? (Page 59)
94. What are monadnocks? (Page 60)
95. What are peneplains?
96. Waterfalls and rapids are associated with which stage of a river?
97. What is the difference between a gorge and a canyon?
98. In which types of rocks is one likely to find the above two features,
respectively?
99. What are incised meanders?
100. What is meant by river rejuvenation? (Google)
101. What are river terraces?
102. What is the difference between paired and unpaired terraces?
103. How are alluvial cones formed? (Page 62)
104. How are river deltas different from alluvial cones? (2 points)
105. What are point bars? Where are these likely to be located?
106. Give 3 reasons for formation of meanders.
107. What are braided channels?
108. In which kinds of rocks does groundwater make landforms? Name two.
109. What is it about these rocks that helps groundwater create landforms,
unlike in other rocks?
110. Explain: sinkhole, doline, uvalas, lapies.
111. Which two rivers in the Himalayas join to make the Ganga? Where do they
join each other?
112. What are: cirques, tarn lakes, horns, serrated ridges, arêtes?
113. What are fjords?
114. What is glacial till?
115. What are moraines?
116. What are eskers?
117. What are drumlins?
118. What is a wave-cut platform?
119. What is wave-built terrace?
120. What are barrier bars and spits?
121. What are lagoons?
122. Which coast of India has dominant erosional/ depositional features?
123. What are sea stacks?
124. Do shingle beaches contain large pebbles or small? (Page 71)
125. What are pediments and pediplains?
126. What are playas?
127. What are deflation hollows?
128. What is the difference between barchans, seifs, and parabolic dunes?
129. 99% of the total composition of the atmosphere extends up to what height
from the earth’s surface? (Page 76)
130. After Nitrogen and Oxygen, what is the gas most commonly found in earth’s
atmosphere?
131. How does the ozone layer help us?
132. Which layer of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer? (Page 77)
133. In which latitudes is a higher concentration of dust particles found, and
why? (Page 77)
134. How do dust particles help in cloud formation?
135. At which latitudes is the height of the troposphere maximum?
136. Why is the tropopause called that?
137. In which layer of the atmosphere does the temperature start increasing
with height?
138. At what heights do the various layers of atmosphere exist?
139. What is the primary reason behind differences in atmospheric pressures at
different places?
140. What are the technical names for positions of the earth when it is closet to/
furthest away from the sun?
141. What is the angle made by the earth’s axis with the plane of its orbit around
the sun?
142. Why do higher latitudes of the earth receive lesser insolation?
143. What are the reasons behind the red color exhibited by the setting and
rising sun? (Page 80)
144. Why does the equator receive comparatively lesser insolation as compared
to the tropics?
145. What is advection?
146. How is the above important in the context of India?
147. What is meant by the albedo of the earth?
148. Describe the heat balance of the earth. (Page 81)
149. Even though the tropics have a net heat surplus and the poles have a net
heat deficit, why do the tropics not get heated up progressively and the
poles melt?
150. What are the four major factors that determine the temperature of a place?
151. What is meant by the normal lapse rate?
152. What are isotherms?
153. What is the relationship between isotherms and the earth’s latitudes?
154. In which hemisphere does this relationship hold roughly true?
155. Describe: Temperature Inversion (Page 85)
156. In January, describe the typical position of isotherms in the northern and
southern hemispheres. (Page 85)
157. What is the relationship between latitudes and the length of days?
158. In India, why is the day temperature maximum in May and not during the
summer solstice in June?
159. In what units is atmospheric pressure measured? (Page 88)
160. What is the primary cause for movement of air from one place on the earth
to the other?
161. Although pressure decreases rapidly with height in the lower atmosphere,
why do we not experience vertical winds?
162. What are the lines connecting places that have equal atmospheric
pressures called?
163. Describe the distribution of these pressure lines in January; name them
with reference to the latitudes that these characteristically lie at in January.
164. List 4 forces that affect horizontal forces close to the earth’s surface.
165. How does the pressure gradient force differ due to differences in the
distances between isobars?
166. What is the Coriolis force? How does it relate to latitudes?
167. What is the relationship between Coriolis force and the Pressure Gradient
force?
168. Why are tropical cyclones not formed near the equator? (Page 90; just
memorize this)
169. What are geostrophic winds?
170. What is the wind circulation around a low-pressure zone called? Around a
high-pressure zone?
171. List the 5 things that determine the general pattern of circulation.
172. Describe the 3 cells that set the pattern for the general circulation of air.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixT7D3f8Qo)
173. What are the nicknames of the equator, 30 degrees N and S? (video above)
174. Explain the formation of the polar jet stream. (around 16 minutes into the
video)
175. What is katabatic wind?
176. What is an air mass?
177. What is the difference between cold and warm fronts? (Page 94-CHECK)
178. What is an occluded front?
179. What are extra-tropical cyclones? At what latitudes, and how, are they
formed?
180. Describe the three stages of an extra-tropical cyclone.
(http://charliesweatherforecasts.blogspot.in/2011/09/tropical-vs-
extratropical-cyclones.html)
181. How and when do extra-tropical cyclones dissipate? Or are they permanent
phenomena?
182. In which direction do extra-tropical cyclones move in each hemisphere?
183. Draw the cross-section of an extra-tropical cyclone.
184. What are the names of tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean, Atlantic
Ocean, Western Pacific, and Western Australia?
185. How are tropical cyclones formed?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AAG4HEsgMQ)
186. Explain the anatomy of a tropical cyclone.
187. Explain: Tropical cyclones that cross 20 degrees N latitude generally
recurve and are more destructive.
188. List 3 important differences between tropical and extra-tropical cyclones.
189. What is storm surge?
190. What are thunderstorms?
191. What are tornadoes?
192. In which latitudes are you likely to find tornadoes, and why?
193. In the northern hemisphere, in which directions do tropical and extra-
tropical cyclones spin? (See self note on top of Page 94)
194. In the southern hemisphere, in which directions do tropical and extra-
tropical cyclones spin?
195. The direction of wind around a low pressure in the northern hemisphere is:
clockwise, anti-clockwise, perpendicular to isobars, or parallel to the
isobars?
196. Define relative humidity.
197. What is dew point?
198. Why is evaporation greater when the movement of air is greater? (Page 98)
199. What is sublimation?
200. What is the difference between fog and mist?
201. What are the four different types of clouds?
202. What is the difference between condensation and precipitation? (Page 100)
203. When does sleet form?
204. Between 35 and 40 degrees North and South of the equator, the rain is
heavier on the eastern coasts of continents, and vice versa for 45 and 65
degrees N and S. Why?
205. Discuss the salient features of the world distribution of precipitation.
206. How many major climatic groups did Koeppen recognize? Name them.
(Page 103)
207. What type of climate falls in the ‘A’ region? How many subgroups is this
type divided into? Name them, along with regions of the world where this
type of climate is found.
208. Apart from India, name two other places where Am type of climate is found.
209. In which latitudes does one find ‘B’ type of climate?
210. Explain: on the western margins of continents, B type of climates extend
more equatorwards and occur on coastal land, whereas in middle latitudes
(35-60 degrees N and S) they are confined to the interiors of continents.
211. Where is one likely to find Subtropical Steppes?
212. Around which latitudes are you likely to find Cs type of climate?
213. What is the ‘subtropical ridge’? (Google)
214. Describe the major climate types by latitude (se pdf notes on dropbox)
215. What are the four major divisions of the oceanic floor? (Page 113)
216. Why are fossil fuels rather commonly in the oceans just off the shores of
the continents?
217. What are seamounts, guyots, and atolls?
218. In which hemisphere are oceans, on average, likely to be hotter? (Page
115)
219. What cause longitudinal variations in ocean temperature? (Page 115)
220. Why do enclosed seas in the low latitudes record relatively higher
temperatures than the open sea, and enclosed seas in high latitudes have
lower temperature than the open sea?
221. What is halocline? (Page 118)
222. What is the thermocline?
223. What is the average temperature of the surface water of the oceans at the
equator? (Page 116)
224. What is the upper limit of salinity to demarcate brackish water? (Page
116)
225. Around which latitudes are the highest levels of salinity found and why?
(Page 117)
226. Which lake exhibits the highest level of salinity?
227. Although the North Sea is located at a rather high altitude, why does it
record a high level of salinity?
228. Among Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, which one exhibits higher
salinity and why?
229. What is a continental margin? (Page 119)
230. Classify the following into horizontal and vertical motions: ocean currents,
tides, and waves. (Page 120)
231. What causes waves to form and travel?
232. Describe the motion of water inside a wave with a diagram.
233. When do waves break? (Page 120)
234. In what unit is wave speed usually measured?
235. What is the difference between tides and surges? (Page 121)
236. Aside from the gravitation force created by the pull of the sun and the
moon, what is the other major cause of tides?
237. How many times a day do tides usually occur? At what rough time interval?
238. What is meant by perigee?
239. What are spring tides and neap tides? When do they occur?
240. List three major forces that affect ocean currents. (Page 123)
241. Why does water tend to flow away from the equator? (Page 123- CHECK)
242. Where are you likely to find cold/ warm ocean currents in the low/
middle/ high latitudes on each hemisphere? (Page 123)
243. Describe WHY the above happens.
244. What are the two major factors influencing the direction of ocean currents?
245. List the 18 major ocean currents and classify them into cold and warm
ocean currents. Also indicate their position on a map. (Page 124, 125)
246. In which month does the earth reach its perihelion?- January; aphelion is
around July
247. Define ecology. (Page 128)
248. True or false: Habitat denotes the physical characteristics that constitute
the general environment of an organism.
249. What are the two broad types of ecosystems?
250. What are biomes?
251. What are four major kinds of biomes?
252. What are the two major types of aquatic ecosystems?
253. What are the two types of food chains? (Page 129)
254. What are biogeochemical cycles?
255. What is the carbon cycle?
256. What are exotic species? (Page 137)
257. What are the 3 classification of IUCN?
258. What are the different levels of biodiversity?
1. What are the latitudes and longitudes that cover the extremities of India?
2. How many nautical miles does the territorial limit of India extend towards
the sea?
3. Which extent of India is longer in distance: horizontal or vertical?
4. Into which two broad climatic zones can the mainland of India be divided?
5. Name the states through which India’s standard meridian passes.
6. What is the difference between a Gulf and a Strait?
7. How many countries does India share a land border with? Rank them in
order of the length of the frontier.
8. Give three reasons as to why the rivers flowing east in India into the Bay of
Bengal form deltas.
9. Which river is Srinagar located alongside? (Page 11)
10. Which part of India is known as the molasses basin?
11. Which major rivers drain the northern plains of India? (Page 15)
12. Into how many major zones can the northern plains be divided? Name them.
13. True or false: no part of the Indian peninsular plateau extends to the
northeastern regions.
14. Which among the western and eastern ghats in comparatively higher?
15. What are the western ghats locally known as in the following regions:
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala?
16. Which is the highest peak of the western ghats, and where is it located?
(Page 17)
17. Where do the eastern and western ghats meet each other?
18. Is the Meghalaya plateau a part of the peninsular plateau?
19. What are its subdivisions?
20. Which part of India receives the maximum rainfall from the southwest
monsoon? (Page 17)
21. Is the Thar Desert a part of the peninsular plateau? (Page 18)
22. Why is the western coast of India more suited to ports and harbors?
23. What is the ‘ten degree channel’? (Page 19)
24. What is the ‘eleven degree channel’?
25. Which is the only active volcano in India? Where is it located?
26. Which between the two main groups of islands in India is built of coral
deposits?
27. What are ‘Karewas’? Where are they found? (Page 11)
28. What are ‘catchment areas’ and ‘drainage basins’? (Page 20)
29. What is the difference between ‘watersheds’ and ‘basins’?
30. Which river is known as ‘the sorrow of Bihar’? (Page 24)
31. Which gap separates the Rajmahal hills and the Meghalaya plateau?
32. Which river feeds the canal system of the Bhakra Nangal Project? (Page 25)
33. What is a ‘river regime’?
34. What is thalweg? (Page 30)
35. List the various rivers along the west and east coasts of India, and mention
the states that they serve.
36. List two major effects of the Himalayas on the climate of India.
37. Although Agra and Darjeeling are located at the same latitude, why is
Darjeeling much cooler?
38. Why are winters usually dry in India? (Page 35)
39. What kind of upper air circulation does India experience during winter
months?
40. During winter, when the prevailing night temperature increases, what does
it indicate? (Page 36)
41. What are tropical cyclones? At which time of the year are these likely to hit
India?
42. Describe the surface winds and upper air circulation over India during
summer months.
43. Why do areas in the northeast receive the maximum rainfall during the
southwest monsoon period? (Page 37, black underline)
44. Between which latitudes do the easterly jet streams confine themselves over
India? (Page 37)
45. Which wind system is responsible for the ‘burst’ of monsoon over India?
(Page 38)
46. What is the monsoon trough? (Page 40)
47. Explain: monsoon rains show a declining trend from west to east over the
west coast of India, and from the southeast towards the northwest over the
North Indian Plain and the northern part of the peninsula.
48. What causes El-Nino? (Page 38- and it’s not atmospheric pressure; that
happens because of El-Nino; doesn’t cause it)
49. What are the two major reasons for break in the monsoon?
50. Explain the pattern of winter rainfall in India. (CHECK- Page 42)
51. Which of the following statements is true: during summer months, the
temperature in India (a) decreases from north to south, or (b) increases
from coast to the interior?
52. At which latitude are you likely to find the ITCZ during July? (Page 45)
53. In which direction does the loo blow? (westerly or easterly?)
54. What is kalbaisakhi? (page 45)
55. Explain: the monsoon winds over Bihar are easterly.
56. Explain the two branches of the southwest monsoon in India. (Page 47)
57. Why does Tamil Nadu remain dry during the southwest monsoon?
58. Describe: October Heat.
59. Explain: the weather in retreating monsoon (around October and
November) is dry in north India but is associated with rain in the eastern
part of the peninsula. (Page 49)
60. Name the 6 Indian names for seasons, and the Indian names for the months
that they are associated with.
61. Which parts of India fall under the following type of climate: Amw, As, Aw,
Bwsw, Bwhw, Cwg, Dfc, E. (Page 53- DO PROPERLY)
62. Which 2 broad regions in India receive the highest rainfall? (Page 56)
63. How many distinct seasons are found in India as per the IMD? Name them.
(Page 56)
64. Name the 5 major groups into which Indian forests can be divided. (Page 57)
65. Name 3 broad regions of India where one finds tropical evergreen forests.
66. Which is the most common type of forests in India?
67. Name two plants that are common in tundra vegetation.
68. What are temperate forests called in the Nilgiri hills? (Page 60)
69. Which two places in India are protected as waterfowl habitats under the
Ramsar convention?
70. Do Andamans have mangrove forests?
71. Which state/ UT has the maximum forest cover?
72. What % of India’s area does the National Forest Policy aim to bring under
forest cover?
73. What is ‘social forestry’?
74. What is ‘farm forestry’?
75. What are the two main aims of the Wildlife Act of 1972?
76. Which organization runs the Man and Biosphere programme?
77. Define: Biosphere Reserve.
78. How many BRs exist in India, How many are included in the World Network
of BRs? Name them all.
79. List the 8 types of soils found in India. (Page 69)
80. Which is the most common soil type in India?
81. Which kind of soil is used in making bricks? (Page 71)
82. Is alluvial soil only found in the Gangetic plains? (Page 69)
83. In which of the following minerals is alluvial soil rich? : Potash or
Phosphorus?
84. List 5 states where one finds black soil.
85. Which characteristic of black soil helps crops sustain even during dry
seasons?
86. Which minerals are black soils deficient in?
87. Where do you find red and yellow soils?
88. Why do they look like that?
89. What are laterite soils? Where are they found?
90. What minerals are these soils deficient in? Which minerals are found in
excess?
91. What are peaty soils? Where are they found?
92. What is the difference between sheet and gully erosion? (Page 73)
93. Why does excessive irrigation make arable soil saline?
94. What is integrated land use planning? (Page 74)
95. ‘Regur soil’ is another name for what kind of soil?
96. What do farmers add to the soil when it turns saline? (Page 72)
97. What is the Yoakahama Strategy? (Google/ Page 80)
98. What are the four broad categories of natural disasters? (Page 79)
99. The collision of which two tectonic plates caused the recent Nepal
earthquake?
100. Although the Indian peninsular block is a fairly stable geological entity,
what is the cause of some devastating earthquakes in Gujarat and
Maharashtra? (Page 81)
101. Explain: a ship at sea is not much affected by a Tsunami, but the same
Tsunami can cause massive damage at the coast.
102. Define: tropical cyclone. (CHECK- Page 84)
103. Which latitudes are tropical cyclones found between? Why?
104. Why are tropical cyclones not found between 0-5 degrees latitudes?
105. List four conditions for the emergence of a tropical cyclone.
106. In case of Bay of Bengal, why do cyclones develop most numerously during
the months of October and November? (
107. Where do tropical cyclones derive their energy from? (Page 86)
108. Why do tropical cyclones make landfall on India’s east coast, and not on the
west coast? (Page 85- CHECK)
109. Why does Tamil Nadu sometimes experience flash floods during
November-January? (Page 88)
110. What are the 4 types of droughts? (Page 89)
111. Describe the Disaster Management Bill of 2005.
River State
Major left bank tributary of the Ganges; comes from Nepal Himalayas, join the
Ghaghara
Ganga in Bihar
Tista Fast-flowing river of the Darjiling/ Sikkim Himalayas
Brahmputra Enters via Namcha Barwa in Arunachal Pradesh
Kameng
Subansiri
All in Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and
Dihang
hence very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Dibang/ Sikang
Lohit
Barak Manipur, Mizoram; tributary of the Meghana river
Chindwin Manipur; tributary of Myanmar’s Irrawady river
Banas Tribuatry of Chambal
Gujarat
Mahi
West flowing; rises in MP, flows through Rajasthan and Gujarat to drain into
Arabian sea
Periyar Kerala; west flowing (Arabian sea drainage)
Pennar Andhra Pradesh
Sabarmati Gujarat
Kalindi Sundarbans
Meghana Bangladesh
Chambal
Oldest rivers; arise in central highlands, flow towards the Ganga (so, southwest
Betwa
to northeast direction of flow). Seasonal rivers.
Son
Hunza, Shigar, Gasting, Tochi, Gomal, Viboa, Sangar- tributaries of Indus
Another name for Chenab (because it is formed at the confluence of 2 rivers
Chandrabhaga
called Chandra and Bhaga)
Ramganga Tributary of Ganga; UP
Mahananda Tributary of Ganga; rises in Darjeeling
Son Rises in Amarkantak hills
Left bank tributaries: Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda
Ganga system
Right bank: Son, (Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken: via Yamuna)
Left bank tributaries: Dibang/ Sikang, Lohit, Burhi Dihing, Dhansari
Brahmaputra
system
Right bank: Subansiri, Kameng, Manas, Sankosh
Mahanadi Rises in Chhattisgarh highlands (in Raipur); covers MP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa
Rises in Nasik (WG), known as Dakshin Ganga; runs through Maharashtra, MP,
Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh
Godavari
Main Tributaries: Penganga, Indravati, Pranhita, Manjra
Rises in Mahabaleshwar (WG); runs through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and
Andhra Pradesh
Krishna
Main Tributaries: Konya, Tungabhadra, and Bhima
Brahmagiri hills, Karnataka (Kogadu district); runs through Kerala, Karnataka,
and Tamil Nadu
Kaveri
Main Tributaries: Kabini, Amravati, Bhavani
Amarkantak hills; flows in a rift valley between Vindhyas and Satpuras, forms
Narmada
Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur; Sardar Sarovar Dam
Tapi Satpura, MP (Betul district); Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat
Saraswati Rajasthan; tributary of Luni
Mandovi, Juari- Goa
Bharathapuzha Kerala
Sharavati Karnataka
Pamba Kerala; falls into Vambanad lake
River State
Banas Tribuatry of Chambal
Enters via Namcha Barwa in Arunachal Pradesh
Left bank tributaries: Dibang/ Sikang, Lohit, Burhi Dihing, Dhansari
Brahmputra
Right bank: Subansiri, Kameng, Manas, Sankosh
Barak Manipur, Mizoram; tributary of the Meghana river
Oldest rivers; arise in central highlands, flow towards the Ganga (so, southwest
Betwa
to northeast direction of flow). Seasonal rivers.
Bharathapuzha Kerala
Another name for Chenab (because it is formed at the confluence of 2 rivers
Chandrabhaga
called Chandra and Bhaga)
Chindwin Manipur; tributary of Myanmar’s Irrawady river
Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and hence
Dihang
very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and hence
Dibang/ Sikang
very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Oldest rivers; arise in central highlands, flow towards the Ganga (so, southwest
Chambal
to northeast direction of flow). Seasonal rivers.
Left bank tributaries: Ramganga, Gomati, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Mahananda
Ganga system
Right bank: Son, (Chambal, Sind, Betwa, Ken: via Yamuna)
Rises in Nasik (WG), known as Dakshin Ganga; runs through Maharashtra, MP,
Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh
Godavari
Main Tributaries: Penganga, Indravati, Pranhita, Manjra
Major left bank tributary of the Ganges; comes from Nepal Himalayas, join the
Ghaghara
Ganga in Bihar
Juari Goa
Rises in Mahabaleshwar (WG); runs through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and
Andhra Pradesh
Krishna
Main Tributaries: Konya, Tungabhadra, and Bhima
Brahmagiri hills, Karnataka (Kogadu district); runs through Kerala, Karnataka,
and Tamil Nadu
Kaveri
Main Tributaries: Kabini, Amravati, Bhavani
Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and hence
Kameng
very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Kalindi Sundarbans
All in Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and
Lohit
hence very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Meghana Bangladesh
Mahananda Tributary of Ganga; rises in Darjeeling
Gujarat
Mahi
West flowing; rises in MP, flows through Rajasthan and Gujarat to drain into
Arabian sea
Mahanadi Rises in Chhattisgarh highlands (in Raipur); covers MP, Chhattisgarh, Orissa
Mandovi Goa
Amarkantak hills; flows in a rift valley between Vindhyas and Satpuras, forms
Narmada
Dhuandhar waterfall near Jabalpur; Sardar Sarovar Dam
Periyar Kerala; west flowing (Arabian sea drainage)
Pennar Andhra Pradesh
Pamba Kerala; falls into Vambanad lake
Ramganga Tributary of Ganga; UP
All in Arunachal Himalayas; these are perennial with a high rate of fall, and
Subansiri
hence very well suited for hydroelectric power generation
Oldest rivers; arise in central highlands, flow towards the Ganga (so, southwest
Son
to northeast direction of flow). Seasonal rivers. Rises in Amarkantak hills
Sabarmati Gujarat
Sharavati Karnataka
Saraswati Rajasthan; tributary of Luni
Tista Fast-flowing river of the Darjiling/ Sikkim Himalayas
Tapi Satpura, MP (Betul district); Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat
Hunza, Shigar, Gasting, Tochi, Gomal, Viboa, Sangar- tributaries of Indus